I'm a mordsith now
by CanadaGrizzly
Summary: Friend to Kahlan Amnell and Travelling companion to Richard and Zedd, Flora is in for a surprise when she gets captured by the Mordsith along with Richard. Will two broken hearts be able to mend one another? Flora, grieving the loss of her friend DeeDee from childhood. Denna, grieving that Rahl scorched her childhood village to the ground as a result of her failure. Please review.
1. A talk with Kahlan

_The sky was dark and filled with gray rain clouds as they ran, laughing, skirts flying in the wind as they raced each other to the creek. Their laughter grew louder as they were suddenly caught in the sudden downpour._

" _Help!" The small, brown haired figure rolled down the hill, "DeeDee!"_

" _Hold on Flora!" The golden haired girl raced after her, feet swift and sure on the muddy embankment. "Gotcha!" In one swift movement she scooped up the younger girl and began dragging her back up the hill to safety._

"Wake up." Flora rolled over on the bedroll, sighing as she felt Kahlan's eyes on her. "It's morning silly. Get up. We have a lot of ground to cover. Come with me to get firewood?" Kahlan playfully shook her shoulder, pulling the blanket off of her, laughing as Flora swatted back.

"Okay, Okay, alright already, Geez. Im up" Flora smiled, playfully rolling her eyes at the Mother Confessor, standing up and stretching, still remembering the events of her dream. It had been years. Ten whole years. Ten years since that fateful day, and yet she still had the same dream every single bloody night. The guilt was sill weighing on her heart like a full grown Ox, even after all these long years and the journeys shed travelled in that time.

She didn't race ahead as she normally did each morning, didnt playfully pull at Kahlan's long brown hair or push her into a bush or a puddle. She ran her hand thoughtfully along the tree trunks that she passed, the guilt overwhelming her. It had been such a long time. She'd trained, running miles every day, racing through the forests at break neck speed, her skilled feet not ever tripping her up over the miles and miles of root laden grounds. She blamed herself. If she'd been stronger, her friend would still be beside her.

"Youre miles away." Kahlan said softly, her dark eyes compassionate and kind. "You've been very quiet since you started travelling with us. I can tell something is wrong." Flora felt a hand on her shoulder. "You were talking in your sleep. Calling for someone named DeeDee." Kahlan's eyes seemed to see into her soul.

Flora stiffened. "I'm fine. " She quickened her steps, not surprised when Kahlan sped up as well. "Kahlan. Please. I dont want to talk about Her." Her voice cracked, and she turned her head away. Kahlan always knew when she needed to talk, especially when she didnt want to.

"When youre ready, I am here." Kahlan promised. Flora shook her head, sighing as she picked up another handful of firewood. She'd told no one about DeeDee, and she probably never could. Especially not Kahlan. She would never understand.

"Im sorry. I didnt mean to upset you." Kahlan said softly, seeing the tear tracks making their way down Flora's face. Flora melted into the hug, closing her eyes , even now after all this time amazed at the peace she felt when near the Mother Confessor. She was crying. Years of pent up tears letting themselves loose because she had someone who cared enough to listen.

"It isnt. It isnt you. DeeDee was my best friend growing up. She was two years older than me, and the absolute kindest person I ever knew. She wasn't like the other girls in the village who turned me away once they started wanting to hang out with boys. It was just me and DeeDee. We were inseparable. My brothers used to tease me, they thought I had a crush on her, and they were right." Flora paused to sniff, surprised when Kahlan led her to a nearby rock. They sat down, Flora still resting her head on the Confessor's shoulder. "Every summer, right before harvest, we ran to the forest near our homes and hid in the cave we played in. There we stayed from Sunup to Sundown. That was when the Mordsith came." Flora closed her eyes. "The summer I turned twelve, we thought DeeDee would be safe. They usually dont take anyone past the age of thirteen, but this year, they must have been short-" Flora felt her shoulder shake with sobs. "I ran. Like Papa told me, expecting DeeDee to already be there. I waited for hours. I waited until the moon was high in the sky. I waited until the next day. They took her."


	2. Captured

"Denna!" The Golden haired Mordsith knelt before the throne, her eyes downcast, not even looking her Lord in the eyes. She knew in her heart that he had a job for her to do, and that this job would change her life forever.

"Yes..My Lord?" Denna raised her head a few inches, eyes still not daring to look into the dark, unfeeling orbs of her master. "What will you have me to do? How may I serve you this day?" Her voice was soft, her tone respectful,though her heart burned with the fire of hate. It had not been long ago that Lord Rahl had sent three of his most trusted Mordsith to scorch the village of Tabret. There was no reason for that other than to punish her for her failure in catching a prisoner, her failure in harnessing her magic. Denna had sworn that day never to make the same mistake again.

 _"Mistress Denna." Rahla's voice was silky, and she knew then to be terrified, as she always knew. He was the only one, man, woman or beast who could elicit that level of fear,or feeling from her. She knelt before him as she had many times over the long moons she had been in his service. But this time, was different. This time, she had failed._

 _"My Lord. I did not mean to fail you. My lord. I beg you. Please do not-" She bit back a scream of pain as he beat her over and over with her own agiel, until she sank to the stone floor._

 _"You think that this is all I am going to do to punish your failure?" The deep voice of her Lord penetrated her semi-conscious mind. "I have scorched the village of Tabret. Every man, woman and child either died in the flames or by the agiel. There is no one left."_

 _"NO." Denna managed to utter, pain in every movement. "No. No. Dear spirits, no." Grief. Grief filled her heart like a thousand knives. "Flora...no..."_

 _"This is the price for failing me."_

"You may repay me for your failure of three moons ago . You must capture the him. And then perhaps, once I have extracted the information from him which I see fit. Then and only then, may I no longer question your loyalty. "

"I will not let you down again, my Lord." Denna fought to keep the venom from her voice. She didnt wish to revisit the beating from the awful winter's afternoon. Yes, she had failed him. But in scorching her home, he had failed her.

She mounted the tall, warhorse, her red leather matching the mare's blood red coat. Under the starlight, she saw the diamond like pattern of dew on the grass. She allowed herself a longing look up at the stars, not allowing her sisters to see the tears that dared to fill her eyes. It wouldnt do to show weakness. Not as she was heading out on the mission that could bloody well redeem herself in the eyes of Master Rahl.

"Constance. Cara. Berdine. Raine. Ride ahead, Scout out the area. We must head toward the Westland border." Denna's voice was filled with authority. She exhaled as the others galloped ahead, and only then did she allow herself to glance up at the fading starlight. "I failed you. I am so sorry. I hope you are at peace now, in the Creator's light. I miss you. I never got the chance to tell you my most important secret of all. I watched you grow. Though you never saw me. I watched over you. Im so sorry my love. So very sorry." With that, she spurred her horse and galloped into the dawn.

"Kahlan." Flora sighed sadly, watching the white clad Mother Confessor packing up her few belongings and preparing to leave. "I dont want you to go. I..I need you." Flora wrapped her arms around her, tears falling from her eyes.

"I know. I know. I..I know." Kahlan sighed softly, holding the girl in her embrace. " But I have to. I cant stay. I just cant. I promise you. You will see me again. I need you to stay. To protect Richard until I can appoint another confessor. It's up to you now."

"Kahlan. Im not a confessor. I..I cant..Im afraid." Flora sighed. Admitting her fear was hard for her, yet it was easy to do with Kahlan. No one else had ever been allowed to see her this vulnerable.

"You are a skilled warrior. You have nothing to fear. I have to go. Im sorry Sweetheart." Flora raced after Kahlan, walking with her as far as she would allow, her heart churning. How would she survive? Kahlan was the first person she'd cared about since the loss of DeeDee. It hurt to lose her. More than anything she had known since DeeDee had been taken by the Mordsith. For hours, she sat on the rock by the stream, tears continuing to fall until she suddenly sat straight up and looked around.

The forest was oddly silent, not even the robins were singing their soft melody. The only sound she heard was...nothing. Until the world seemed to explode in sound. Battle. Richard. Zedd.

"RICHARD!" Flora raced up the steep incline, her dagger in her hand, eyes wide with shock as she saw the enemy she was dealing with. Mordsith. Leaping, she jumped onto the closest one, her dagger slicing through the red leather, hand grasping the blond braid, tearing her to the ground, a deep, angry shout filling her as she continued to stab. She ignored the throbbing pulsing pain in her side as she fought like a lioness to protect the seeker.

"GET THE HELL OFF OF ME YOU BITCH!" She snarled as the Mordsith suddenly gained the upper hand, flipping her onto her back, straddling her, her own bloody dagger at her throat.

"YOU DARE TO ATTACK AN AGENT OF LORD RAHL?" The blond grabbed her by her own long braid, slamming her head into the forest floor, agiel at her heart. "You are coming with me."

"Let me go." Flora pleaded. She saw another three mordsith loading Richard into the back of a big black wagon, "RICHARD!" She pleaded, "Let him go."

"Flora! FLORA! RUN! RUN FLORA!" Richard screamed. Flora saw a flash of something in her captor's eyes. She wondered briefly what it was, but it didnt seem like she had the time to figure it out. Flora only felt a soft gasp as she descended into unconsciousness.


	3. Shattered Heart

Flora opened her eyes, wondering where she was. "Kahlan?" She whispered, wincing in pain as she sat up. The stones were hard on her back, and she almost screamed as she saw that she was surrounded by rats. "Kahlan? Kahlan?" Her voice was hoarse, and with a start she remembered everything. The fight, the mordsith, Richard. Where was Richard? Was he alright? Oh Creator! She had failed. She had failed to protect someone else that she loved. "I failed. again. Why do I keep failing?"

"because you are a coward." the sultry voice made her raise her head, bringing a whole new pain when she tried to look at the other woman who stood before her. "You could have killed me, had you grabbed my agiel."

"I know your tricks. I would have been incapacitated had I been senseless enough to touch that thing." Pain. white hot pain.

"YOU WILL SPEAK ONLY WHEN I SPEAK TO YOU AND YOU WILL ADDRESS ME AS MISTRESS CARA." The pain ceased, and Flora relaxed, looking up into the deep seafoam green eyes.

"Of course Mistress Cara." Flora said softly, eyes downcast. "Where is the one who took me?"

"Alive. If that is what you are asking." Flora watched the fierce woman make her way around her, eyes appraising her. She whimpered, crying out as she was struck time and time again with the agiel, pain filling her every sense.

"DeeDee" she whimpered. "DeeDee." She couldnt scream any longer, couldnt keep her head up. But for some reason, some sick twist of fate, she wasn't being allowed to slip into unconsciousness.

"Who is DeeDee?" Cara asked, placing the agiel under her chin. "Who is your precious DeeDee? She must be very important to you, for you to be screaming out for her in your training." Cara's voice was mocking, and Flora hated the glare that was in the Mordsith's eyes.

"The love of my life." Flora said, ignoring the use of the appellation.

"You will never see her again." Cara growled, beating her over and over. Blood ran from her sides, neck, and head. This was only to be the beginning.

"Tell me Seeker." Denna growled, pacing all around the once formidable warrior. "Tell me what I need to know." She was aware of Richard watching her, aware of the simple fact that she needed to get the information for Rahl, but for the first time, her mind wasnt fully on her assignment. "WHERE IS THE BOOK OF SHADOWS?"

"Where is Flora? Did you kill her?" Insolent boy. Stupid fool. Didnt he know what his disobedience cost him? She began to beat him with the agiel, her eyes boring into him, her teeth bared so hard that she felt one of them crack with the effort. She beat him within an inch of his life, then tossed him back into his cell, chaining him up in the same place he had been that morning.

Sighing, Denna left the room shutting the door with a loud bang, illogically thinking that the louder the noise she made the softer her thoughts would become. She felt something in her gut, a quiet whisper that seemed to call her down the hallway. This was different than the song of another Mordsith's agiel calling her to assist with a training when the pet needed a firmer hand. This felt like the music of a dream. Denna internally scoffed at that thought, Mordsith do not have romantic illusions. Even so, Denna marched down the hall, following the screams into the last training room.

"Tell me. Dammit!" Cara was bent over the girl, agiel directly under her ear. "I'm sure you know where that Book of Shadows is. " Denna watched, intrigued as the girl writhed under the weapon's touch. She stepped forward, her eyes never leaving Cara's work. "Mind if I play a bit?" Denna winked at Cara, her red gloved hand caressing Cara's braid for a brief moment. "I have expended my pet for today. I'd like a few moments working at your side, if I may have the honor?"

"Of course, Madame Denna." Cara lowers her head, and Denna moves to take her place. Flora struggles to rise, wincing as she pushes herself to her knees. Pain. searing pain.

"Not so tough now are you Bitch?" Denna snarls, slamming Flora back to the ground, internally groaning when a splash of blood hit her golden braid. She'd have to wash that later. It wouldn't do to have the girl's blood on her all night long. With a savage, wolf-like growl Denna wrapped her leather clad hand around Flora's throat. "Why do you wear a braid?" She growled, her deep blue eyes stormy, with a hint of grey.

"I lost someone, years ago. I wear this as a reminder of my failure to protect her, and as a symbol that her memory will protect me. I do not know if she is dead, or alive. I have never seen her ...on..on the ..raids" Flora winced as she realized she'd forgotten to use the appellation. she braced herself for the coming storm of pain.

"HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN YOUR PLACE ALREADY SLAVE?" Cara's eyes bulged in shock as Denna stepped between her and Flora. There was something in Denna's eyes she couldn't understand. "What are you doing?"

"It is my turn now Cara. If she needs to be punished. I shall do it. I need you to go and work Richard. No one can turn an agiel quite like you can. I want him to talk. A fresh face may do that." Flora winced at the evil gleam in Denna's eye, "I will punish her my way."

Cara stalked off in a huff. Denna watched as the door shut with clang and she dove for the water bucket.

"SPIRITS!" She cursed as the ladle fell from her hand, and she bent to pick it up. "Flora. Open your eyes. Come on now. Dammit. Open your eyes. That's an order!"

It hurt. Everything hurt. Her head most of all. What was going on? Why was the Mordsith yelling? What was pressed against her lips? Water. Cool water. " M..Mistress..." She coughed, and tasted blood in her mouth.

"Shhh..You're going to be alright. Trust me. I'm going to get you out of this. I have to. Creator willing, you're going to be alright. Tell me Flora, can you sit up? I'll help you, but I need to see the extent of your internal bleeding. Come on now Precious. DeeDee's here now." Denna's voice broke with emotion and for a moment, she allowed herself to be something other than Mordsith. "I'm here darling."

"DeeDee?" Flora fought off the almost drunken haze. Her heart almost dared to hope, then she fought it off. No. No. This was one of their tricks. She knew that. Why couldn't she let herself accept it? She knew they could read minds. So why was she falling so easily under the spell of this soft, deep voice.

"Yes Honey. Yes. It's me. You're alright Flora. Just drink the water alright?" Flora felt tired, so tired. She felt safe in the leather clad arms that held her tightly.

"Stop..what're you doing ?" Flora slurs, wincing in pain as the Mordsith began stripping her out of the bloody dress which she wore.

"Shh...relax." Flora cried out as she felt the cold water on her wounds, washing away the blood. "Flora...shhh...oh honey..honey..shhh.." She felt herself rocking on the stone floor, held in those warm, soft arms. "I am right here. "

"DeeDee.." It wasn't true. She knew it, but she figured if she played along, she wouldn't be hurt anymore. At least for a while, at least for a while she would be in those warm, safe arms. For a while, before Cara came back. "DeeDee.. DeeDee...I'm..it hurts..I'm sorry..DeeDee.."

Denna's heart broke at the sobbing girl in her arms. She never wanted to bring pain to the friend she had once known, and over the years, fallen in love with. "It will be ok. I promise Flora..I will make it ok." She helped the girl into the blanket that Cara had laid in the corner of the room her heart breaking once again when she felt a tug on her leg.

"Stay with me..please...I know you're not really her...I know that...but..I..I..I'd really like it if you'd pretend a bit longer, maybe just until I fall asleep..It would make me very happy." Flora looked so weak, so helpless, Denna felt like crying herself. "DeeDee...I love you."


End file.
